A drug is any substance (other than food that provides nutritional support) that, when inhaled, injected, smoked, consumed, absorbed via a patch on the skin, or dissolved under the tongue, causes a physiological change in the body.[2][3]
In pharmacology, a pharmaceutical drug, also called a medication or medicine, is a chemical substance used to treat, cure, prevent, or diagnose a disease or to promote well-being.[2] Traditionally drugs were obtained through extraction from medicinal plants, but more recently also by organic synthesis.[4] Pharmaceutical drugs may be used for a limited duration, or on a regular basis for chronic disorders.[5]
Pharmaceutical drugs are often classified into drug classes—groups of related drugs that have similar chemical structures, the same mechanism of action (binding to the same biological target), a related mode of action, and that are used to treat the same disease.[6][verification needed][7] The Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System (ATC), the most widely used drug classification system, assigns drugs a unique ATC code, which is an alphanumeric code that assigns it to specific drug classes within the ATC system. Another major classification system is the Biopharmaceutics Classification System. This classifies drugs according to their solubility and permeability or absorption properties.[8]
Psychoactive drugs are chemical substances that affect the function of the central nervous system, altering perception, mood or consciousness.[9] They include alcohol, a depressant (and a stimulant in small quantities), and the stimulants nicotine and caffeine. These three are the most widely consumed psychoactive drugs worldwide[10] and are also considered recreational drugs since they are used for pleasure rather than medicinal purposes.[11] Other recreational drugs include hallucinogens, opiates and amphetamines and some of these are also used in spiritual or religious settings. Some drugs can cause addiction [12] and all drugs can have side effects.[13] Excessive use of stimulants can promote stimulant psychosis. Many recreational drugs are illicit and international treaties such as the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs exist for the purpose of their prohibition.

Using drugs[change | change source]
Drugs, legal or not, may be taken many ways. Different drugs can be used in different ways, depending on the drug. Some drugs are available in different forms and each form can only be used a certain way – for instance crack cocaine (cocaine in a base form) is more powerful when smoked or vaporized, and powder cocaine (cocaine in a salt form) is usually snorted. Drugs can be taken:
Orally – This means they are put into the mouth and swallowed, for instance a pill.
Smoked – This means the drug is burned and then the smoke that is produced is inhaled in by the user, for instance through a pipe, bong, cigar or cigarette.
Insufflated – This means the drug is snorted up a person’s nose.
Vaporized – This means a drug is heated up until it turns into a vapour, then the vapour is breathed in.
Sublingually – This means the drug is absorbed through the vein under a person’s tongue.
Buccally – This means the drug is absorbed through a person’s cheek.
Intravenous – Also called IV – this means a drug is injected into a person’s veins using a needle.
Intramuscular – Also called IM – the drug is injected into a person’s muscle using a needle
Rectally – This means the drug is put into someone’s anus and absorbed there – usually via something called a suppository.
Transdermally – A few drugs, such as nicotine and fentanyl, can even be absorbed through a person’s skin.
Orally is the slowest method of using a drug as it must be digested in the stomach first. Injecting a drug (IV) is the fastest and the most likely to lead to an overdose. It is important to always use clean needles when injecting – injecting with used or dirty needles can spread deadly infections such as Hepatitis C or HIV.
Depending on the drug, smoking can lead to cancer (for instance smoking can cause cancer). Smoking can also sometimes lead to emphysema (a disease of the lungs), depending on what is being smoked. Insufflating a drug can lead to ear, nose and throat conditions depending on the drug being used. Eating a drug can sometimes cause mouth-related problems such as tooth decay.

VidLyf

VidLyf is the one-stop solution for Most Popular, Latest Music Videos, Gaming, Science & Technology Videos, Movies, Cartoons, Animations, TV Series, etc. Bookmark our website & You will be enriched with the different genre of videos.